Parents urged to read with children

Parents neglect their children's reading over the long summer holidays and then have to spend more time helping with homework when they go back to school.

A survey published today found more than half of parents spend less than 20 minutes per day reading with their 5-7 year olds, with only one in 10 parents devoting at least an hour per day to developing their children's reading skills. Almost half of parents admitted to being too busy with work to spend as much time as they would like reading with their children.

The phone survey of parents of 5-13 year olds for booksellers WHSmith found a third of children picked up a book for less than 10 minutes - but spent 15 hours a week watching television.

This has a marked impact on their ability when they return to school.

Paula Harris, a primary school teacher at Holy Trinity school in Yeovil, said: "If children haven't been reading over the summer, their vocabulary understanding greatly diminishes. Extra time has to be spent in the classroom getting them back up to speed with the basics after the summer holidays."

The National Literacy Trust is urging parents to read more with their children - but to make it fun. Sarah Lowry at the trust's Reading Is Fundamental initiative believes that reading should be seen as a fun, recreational activity. "It's paramount that children see reading as fun and not a chore - parents can help by encouraging children to choose their own books or by selecting books that reflect their children's interests".

Rachel John, a teacher at Durand primary school, Stockwell, agreed. "Work with your children at their own pace and choose books that are fun and manageable over the summer, rather than books that are overtly educational".